Ornella Volta - The Vampire

[andydecker]

Ornella Volta - The Vampire (France, Editions Jean Jaques Pauvert, 1962, Tandem 1965, this edition Award, 153 pages)

Contents:

Introduction

Life after Death

Litany of Blood

Necrolasty

The Perils of Love

Necrolaty or The exquisite Cadaver

Tales of Terror

Notes (254, from Poe to Freud)

Glossary

Details of Vampire Species

This is a short non fiction book, and the notes begin on page 79 already. It is more about classic blood drinkers and real-life cannibals than the supernatural vampire, citing everything from the Talmud and Pliny to Strindberg. I guess for thoses interested in that kind of things there are a few nuggets included. Every chapter is made of short lists, which makes this more a collection of obscure anecdotes. For instance note 61 in chapter 2 paragraph 8 : How the drinking of another's blood can be proof of sympathy or antipathy informs the reader of this charming tidbit: "The 'Day of Blood' is also, in Rome, the day of the sacrifice of one's own virility; on March 24 (the 'Day of Blood') the novice priests of Cybeles and many worshippers used to castrate themselves with their own hands in honour of the god Attis and as a sign of mourning for his death. This special offering of blood is therefore a kind of continuance of the tradition."

Well, good to know. Or not. I guess the notes section alone could be a tresure trove for aspiring horror movie writers.

I wonder if the 'Dracula Prize' is still awarded.

[dem bones]

Ornella Volta – The Vampire (Tandem, 1965)

Blurb:
Do Vampires exist?

The interest in these macabre and horrific creatures of legend has increased in recent years and numerous books have been written and films made about them.

Ornella Volta’s book, which won this year’s Dracula prize, awarded in Paris, is without question the most brilliant and penetrating of all these books concerned with death, eroticism and blood of which vampirism is the symbol.

She traces their origins from detailed accounts found in Central and Eastern Europe, and particularly the basic source discovered in the forbidding Tarla mountains, and provides some terrifying facts which have furthered recent developments in the field of sexology and psycho-pathology.

This subject has fascinated people for centuries and one is left with the disturbing question:

Is the Vampire myth or reality?

This was a personal favourite before I developed an aversion to the subject. Think if was the sincerity of the thing that appealed so, also that there are actually more notes than book proper. Entries like The monogamous necrophile. Necrophilia through fidelity. Casual necrophilia certainly made a change from the usual "Did you know? Christopher Lee once starred in a film called Dracula!" nonsense. Don't know about aspiring horror movie writers, but vampire fanzine editors and contributors sure benefitted from Volta's work.

[David A. Riley]

I had the 1965 edition of this book years ago and I must admit I enjoyed dipping into its notes. They were fascinating and covered a wide range of vampiric, cannibalistic and other related subjects in graphic detail. A great book to dip into! I wish I still had it.

[helrunar]

That's a gem. The cover and back blurb evoke an entire era and a very different sort of thing from the whole "Velvet Vampire" era.

cheers, Hel.